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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124843">Perhaps We Found Paradise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitymochi/pseuds/serenitymochi'>serenitymochi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SEVENTEEN (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Deserted Island, Fluff, Kim Mingyu-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, Wilderness Survival, but its still fiction so do take things with a grain of salt, i tried to make it as realistic as i could, mentions of violence and/or blood, rated mature for potentially triggering aspects, survival tips 101</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:01:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>18,102</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124843</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenitymochi/pseuds/serenitymochi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Mingyu is washed up on a deserted island and he meets this handsome stranger that had the same unfortunate fate as him. In between salty breezes and sunny mornings, he realizes that maybe he found something more than a chance to live.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. troubled waters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prologue.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lustrous moonlight illuminated the turbulent sea waves as they churned underneath the ship, causing the gigantic metal structure to sway violently from side to side.</p><p>A strike of lightning tore through the darkness for a split-second, followed closely by the rumble of thunder. Rainwater poured through the heavy clouds ceaselessly; as if a giant shower head was being held over the sea.</p><p>His hooded parka and tracksuit pants shielded him from the full wrath of the relentless downpour, but it wasn’t enough to keep him dry. His face, hands and ankles were thoroughly wet, and the winter chill was creeping up his spine despite the many heat packs he had stuck onto his innermost shirt.</p><p>It probably wasn’t the best decision to be standing by the ship deck railing in the midst of a storm, but there weren’t many chances to see the ocean as it was at the moment.</p><p>There was just something about the pitch-black liquid seething in fury mixed with the ethereal glow of the full moon hanging from the velvety sky, that pulled on his heartstrings. They blended into a picture filled with so much chaos yet so much calamity that he couldn’t help being enthralled by it.</p><p>He had always loved the sea after all.</p><p>Just as he was lost in thought, an abrupt jerk from the ground below threw him off and he stumbled to the side while gripping tightly onto the metal railing.</p><p>The storm was brewing into a full-fledged hurricane at this point.</p><p>He took one last glance at the crashing waves before making his way back to the cabins.</p><p>What he didn’t register, was how slippery the deck surface had become. And what he underestimated, was how intense winter sea storms could be.</p><p>He hadn’t realized how shaky the ship was as he was holding onto the railing before, thus it only hit him now how hard it was to walk properly.</p><p>Which was why he slipped and fell onto the deck after only a few steps.</p><p>He let out a cry in pain as his body slammed into the ground. </p><p>As he was pushing himself up, the ship dipped to the right as the waters beneath it raged in turmoil.</p><p>His body slid across the entire width of the damp deck and rammed into the bottom of the railing. </p><p>Ragged breaths escaped his quivering lips alongside whimpers of agony. </p><p>His pulse accelerated as fear took place in his heart, the beat of his heart thrumming against his eardrums.</p><p>There was no one who could help, no one else who had been bold enough to be out in the torrential rain, no one else who left their warm and safe cabins for the freezing deck.</p><p>The ship made a sudden swerve to the left and before he could brace himself, he skidded across the deck and banged into the other side of the railing once again, the impact making his entire body throb with pain.</p><p>His yells added to the cacophony of the hurricane.</p><p>Rampant waves hit the ship frame with utmost hatred, splashing frigid water all over the deck, drenching him in the process. </p><p>Involuntary shudders sent goosebumps to break out like an infection across his body. </p><p>He laid on the floor panting heavily, his vision blurring from all the collisions. Rain pelted down on his face without mercy.</p><p>He sent a silent prayer to the heavens above, for he doubted he had the strength to get up by himself.</p><p>He wasn’t sure if it was just wishful thinking, but faintly, footsteps could be heard echoing through the stairs leading to the deck, nearly drowned by the voice of the ferocious sea.</p><p>He tasted salt on his lips.</p><p>An icy blanket of seawater encircled over him and wrapped around his feeble body in a cold, wet embrace.</p><p>As his consciousness faded, he was sure he heard someone calling his name.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“AHHHHH——” Mingyu yelped as he lost his footing and slipped into the sea, the cool sea water washing over his senses, leaving him to feel very much awake and refreshed as he got to his feet.</p><p>He popped his head up just in time to hear his friends laughing and teasing him.</p><p>“This just goes to show <em> how </em>clumsy he can be.” </p><p>“<em> Exactly </em>! It blows my mind how he can lose his footing in the sea even though it’s the same place where he spends most of his life!”</p><p>“Not to mention he <em> teaches </em>people how to dive and swim for a living. Tsk tsk, if it were me, I wouldn’t go to any of his lessons even if you paid me to.”</p><p>“Hahaha, very funny guys,” Mingyu shook his head and answered in feigned exasperation, the hint of a grin playing at the tips of his lips. He had no words to defend himself for he had to admit, the things they said were true.</p><p>“Yeah, clumsiness is a part of his identity guys. What would Mingyu be without it?” Seungkwan turned to the rest of the boys and flailed his arms dramatically, in which the rest of them roared in laughter in response.</p><p>Mingyu rolled his eyes and smiled, then shouted to them.</p><p>“You know, since I’m already wet, I’ll just go for a short swim!”</p><p>Knowing that they got the message, he dived into the water without another word, cutting through the currents with ease.</p><p>He felt good in the water. It was like a second home to him, minus the “living in it” part though.</p><p>In the tender caress of the waves, time was an illusion. He could spend hours weaving through and exploring the water, for as long as his muscles permitted.</p><p>The sea gave him a sense of freedom that couldn’t quite be found anywhere else in the world. It was where he felt at peace.</p><p>He wasn’t used to swimming with his shirt on, but that didn’t make the experience too unpleasant.</p><p>Before he knew it, he was quite a distance away from the shore already. </p><p>Mingyu decided to head back, he did say it was going to be a short swim after all, but he felt a sudden tug on his feet.</p><p>Surprised and slightly wary, he immediately started to swim back towards the shore, but he found that the waves were pushing him further and further away from it. </p><p>He moved his arms in a windmill motion alternatingly, putting in more strength in order to propel himself in the direction of the shore, all while kicking his legs furiously at the same time.</p><p>Wait, no. The waves weren’t pushing him, they were <em> pulling </em> him. </p><p>Pulling him towards the center of the ocean. </p><p>“HELP—” Mingyu spluttered as he emerged from the water gasping for air, coming to full realization of what was happening. </p><p>He’d heard of riptides a thousand times, but never had he imagined he would be caught in one in his life. </p><p>The ocean was his source of solace and comfort. However, the harsh twists of the water were completely unfamiliar to him and treated him ruthlessly.</p><p>He had never felt such distress nor despair in the sea’s arms ever before.</p><p>His throat was burning with all the water he had swallowed; he could feel gulps of cold-water gushing down his windpipe.</p><p>Heart palpitating frantically against his chest, he was in panic, and the fact that oxygen was constantly escaping through his ragged breaths was not helping at all. </p><p>Mingyu tried to recollect his training.</p><p>Number one, stay calm. Control your breathing and conserve your energy. Number two, call for help. Number three, float or tread water until you can swim out of the current.</p><p>He recited the steps over and over again in his head, the voice of his instructor mollifying his tense senses. </p><p>He stopped thrashing around wildly, instead, focusing hard on relaxing his muscles and allowing his body to float in whatever direction the current was moving in. </p><p>
  <em> Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. </em>
</p><p>As soon as Mingyu was convinced he wasn’t going to drown, he looked back to the beach to call for help. Yet, the current had already brought him too far away and the shore was completely out of his sight.</p><p>Terror crept surreptitiously up his heart, clawing its way to the top.</p><p>He had no idea where he was and even if he was to swim, he wouldn’t know which direction to swim to. His newfound equanimity wholly dissipated in the matter of seconds.</p><p>He was lost. At sea.</p><p>Helplessly lost at sea.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you for reading &lt;3<br/> <br/>big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/brightxxw">mari</a> for helping me beta-read!!<br/><a href="https://pwfp.carrd.co">playlist</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jwwmochi">twitter</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. undreamed shores</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sparks fly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Mingyu coughs awake, his breath rasping in his throat. He blinks blearily as his eyes adjust to the sudden, blinding light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His head </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurts.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Real bad.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head violently with his eyes closed, trying to get rid of the weariness that’s clouding his senses. When his eyes finally got used to the unfamiliar brightness, they were welcomed by the vast cerulean blue sky; it reminds him of Studio Ghibli movie scenes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pain shoots up his spine as he pushes himself up, causing him to collapse back down into the soft sand. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sand?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He gradually raises his hands to his eyes and sure enough, a thousand tiny sand grains stuck on them like glue. Now that he’s paying more attention, Mingyu could vaguely hear ocean waves striking the shore then quickly retreating repeatedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With much struggle and even more ache coming from his back, he finally sits up to perceive his surroundings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s heart sinks with every sight his eyes take in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right in front of where he’s sitting, is a dark, murky jungle, appearing to extend for miles. Tangled vines hanging from tree to tree could be faintly seen; leaves from the tall trees were rustling softly in the wind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually Mingyu would find the sound comforting, but now they’re nothing but eerie whispers from a sinister rainforest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns around to look at the other side, only to see the sea stretching over to the horizon limitlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dread and fear floods his heart as the memories thaw and submerge. The gears in his brain start to click and run as he eventually recalls what had happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu sighs and stands up tiredly, not without grimaces of pain. His stomach is growling and his throat is on fire; he really should get some clean water and food into his system. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If not, he’s going to die from dehydration soon if not from drowning.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hopefully there’s people living on this island, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Mingyu thinks to himself sullenly. He doesn’t have a single clue how he’ll survive otherwise. With that thought in mind, he moves towards the gloomy rainforest.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu had found a large stick upon entering the rainforest to swipe away the twisted vines when venturing further inwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For what felt like days, he had been striking at the vines in order to clear a route for himself yet he’s still completely lost within the forest, not to mention that he still hasn’t gotten any water or food in his stomach. He’s tired and terribly dehydrated. To make things worse, he passed by several skeletal remains of animals, alarming him that there might be huge predators lurking around.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps I should’ve just laid on the beach and waited for my life to drain out </span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thinks resentfully, as he lashes out at another messy vine dangling in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as the thought whizzes past his mind, Mingyu freezes dead in his tracks, his eyes widening in sheer horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck my life.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Roughly 100 meters away, shedded under the canopy of the towering trees, sits a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking tiger </span>
  </em>
  <span>. Bright orange and white with black stripes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s body and mind goes into full panic mode in a heartbeat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tiger was facing him directly and even though he was subtly hidden by the messy vines in front of him, he doesn’t dare to move a single muscle, afraid that any step, any movement, might attract the tiger’s attention to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He scans the ground in front of him, instantly aware that the entire floor surface was blanketed in dry leaves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dry leaves that sound like bombs detonating against the quietness of the rainforest when threaded upon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu has </span>
  <em>
    <span>zero </span>
  </em>
  <span>knowledge about how to deal with situations like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He frantically looks around him, looking for a suitable route as he starts to contemplate how high his chances of survival would be if he took off running as fast as he could.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he sees a pair of eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few trees next to him. Hidden behind what seemed like a wooden mask, made to blend into the wooden tree barks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pair of slanted eyes. Glinting underneath the afternoon rays that filtered through the many leaf layers, shadows dancing on the wood grains of the mask.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The body beneath the mask had broad shoulders sporting a normal white T-shirt and khaki shorts with ragged ends as if they were hastily cut off, revealing slightly hairy legs and bare feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu can hardly believe it. Is that actually another </span>
  <em>
    <span>human being </span>
  </em>
  <span>? Does this mean he actually has hopes of surviving? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He digs his fingernails into the sweaty palms of his hands, hard, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell me I’m not hallucinating </span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, when he opens his eyes, the person is still there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Probably noticing that he had caught Mingyu’s attention, the stranger raises a finger to his lips, motioning Mingyu not to make any noise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, at least it’s what Mingyu believes to be his lips, considering the fact that his entire face is concealed by the wooden mask, minus his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nods hesitantly, unsure of what the stranger intends to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing that Mingyu received the message, the stranger points at a tree next to him, then up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Realization dawns on Mingyu. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Climb a tree </span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Although Mingyu isn’t convinced how climbing a tree is going to help him, given that he’s probably going to be terribly loud, he decides to do it anyways. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu concludes that if the stranger wanted him dead, he could’ve just left him alone, since he has no idea whatsoever how to save himself. Plus, the stranger doesn’t have any reasons for him to be dead, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning to the nearest tree, Mingyu sends a mental thanks to his six-year-old self for being hyperactive, climbing trees and monkey bars in playgrounds whenever he had the chance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wraps his arms around the tree trunk and places his bare feet on a sturdy gnarl, gripping the trunk tightly with his thighs and calves. Then, he slides his hands one by one up the tree as he inches his feet up, keeping his legs as close to his hands as possible to prevent himself from sliding down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu goes on until he reaches the lowest branch of the tree. He grips the branch with both hands and swings one leg up and over the branch, trying very hard to minimize the noise he makes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Mingyu finally settles himself on the branch, he glances back to the stranger’s direction. Mingyu notices that the stranger had climbed up a tree himself and started throwing sticks and stones in the opposite direction in order to draw the tiger’s attention to the other side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Apparently, it was working. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu watches in disbelief as the tiger strides further into the forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He never knew that tigers were this easy to trick??</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After making sure the tiger had stalked away, the stranger climbs down the tree and lands on the ground with a thud. Fully trusting the stranger’s judgement at this point, Mingyu follows suit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu intends to thank the stranger, but he’s not sure what language the stranger speaks. Heck, he doesn’t even know where he is at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s surprised when the stranger makes the first move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger whips off his mask, revealing a face with well-defined features, those slanted eyes gleaming with anticipation. He notices that the stranger’s cheeks are quite sullen, highlighting his angular face shape. Even so, the stranger is </span>
  <em>
    <span>handsome </span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thick straight eyebrows, a sharp pointy nose, a clean cut jawline and flawlessly-shaped full lips, although rather chapped. His unevenly cut hair is a mixture of spiky and wavy, it’s untidy but somehow, Mingyu finds it endearing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu is so concentrated on checking out the stranger’s features that he almost misses the deep baritone voice talking excitedly to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god you’re here to save me right? I thought I’d be stranded here </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever </span>
  </em>
  <span>. Please bring me to whatever vehicle you came here with! I don’t really have belongings so we can leave straight away.”The stranger looks at him expectantly with shining eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu visibly shakes himself out of his thoughts and answers incredulously, unable to digest the fact that he understood the stranger perfectly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s voice cracks slightly from dryness. “What? you’re Korean too?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be Korean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu then finally registers what the stranger had said before and explains hurriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait wait wait, I’m not here to save you and I didn’t come in any vehicle!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger’s features immediately twist into a blank look of confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hesitates a while before asking doubtfully, his voice void of emotion. “Who are you, and what are you doing here then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can call me Mingyu!” Mingyu answers meekly with an awkward grin plastered across his face. “I was washed up on this island this morning and I was kinda.. hoping you could help me out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?..” The stranger exhales weakly, his voice barely more than a whisper. His energy seems to sapped out of him as he drops his gaze and stares hard at the grass, his expression hard to read.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head absent-mindedly and lets out a mockful laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What exactly is it with people washing up on this completely deserted island? First me, then you. It’s like the universe wants us dead yet refuses to kill us this easily so we’re being sent to this damn place instead to suffer and die off on our own.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu is shocked at the stranger’s words. Never in a thousand lifetimes would he have thought that another unlucky soul would encounter the same misfortune as him. Still, Mingyu could clearly make out the bitterness dripping from his voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” Mingyu mumbles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence stretches between them for miles. Mingyu isn’t sure if the stranger heard him, but he’s too awkward to repeat himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu hates it. He hates chilly silences and awkward tensions. He wants to say something but he can’t think of anything. Well, he could say something like “Brighten up! At least you have a companion now—— me!” but he doubts that the stranger would appreciate the lame humour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I should be sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. I just-  I-  I really thought that I could finally go back home,” the stranger says shakily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He extends his hand towards Mingyu with a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Wonwoo. I guess it’s the two of us from today onwards.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu beams and shakes his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you— Wonwoo, for saving my ass out there just now,” Mingyu tries out the stranger’s name and is happy with the way it rolls off his tongue. “I’m probably gonna need a lot of your help in the future.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo looks mildly embarrassed when he answers. “It’s nothing really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turns towards the looming trees and mutters, “Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu doesn’t need to be told twice.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” Mingyu asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hopes Wonwoo doesn’t find him annoying. In the short 5 minutes they have been walking together, Mingyu reaches the quick conclusion that Wonwoo probably isn’t the talkative type, whereas Mingyu has been itching to bombard his new companion with a million questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What was that mask he was wearing just now? Where does he live? What does he eat? What happened before he got washed up on this island? How long has he been on this island? How did he know what to do to survive? Did he have any companions who are already dead by now?  </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking we could get you some food and water first?” Wonwoo replies with an unsure tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“YES! Gosh, I can almost swear that you read my mind! I’ve been dying of thirst ever since I opened my eyes and found myself on this island. I'd love to have some clean fresh water trickling down my throat.” Mingyu groans.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could tell. Your voice rasps in every sentence you speak. Clean water isn’t easy to come by, it may take some time until you’ll be able to quench your thirst. I’d refrain from talking if I were you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu shoots a quick glance at Wonwoo and decides that he isn’t joking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, okay.” Mingyu shuts his mouth up without a further word.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continue the journey in silence, minus the occasional rustle of leaves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu is aware that the sun is considerably lower at this time; it definitely isn’t as hot as it was when he first woke up. Faint rays from the afternoon sun peek through the leaf layers as a light wind breezes past, casting dancing shadows onto his and Wonwoo’s bodies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu realizes that Wonwoo had led them through a route where there were less vines jumbled in the middle of their path. He’s able to move with ease, as long as he keeps an eye on his footing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo though, walks through the forest like it’s his home; barefoot, every step sturdy and sure. It piques Mingyu’s curiosity even more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a short while, Wonwoo stops and picks up a few ugly, gritty rocks from the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to contain himself, Mingyu blurts “What are those for?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For cooking water.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu doesn’t understand what rocks have to do with cooking water but he doesn’t press on the question. He’s fairly sure Wonwoo knows what he’s doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not long after, Wonwoo stoops down to pull a few plants from the ground and shoves them into Mingyu’s hands. He then fills his hands with the same plant as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Upon close inspection, Mingyu recognizes the plants as a type of fern. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This will be our dinner.” Wonwoo says then continues walking up a slope before Mingyu could say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu hurries forward to catch up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right before Mingyu’s eyes, is what seems to be a cave entrance. By the looks of it, it appears to be quite shallow, but he supposes it would serve enough for shelter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we’re here.” Wonwoo clears his throat and says. He stoops his head as he enters the cave, Mingyu following closely behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu fails to suppress the surprise from creeping up his features as he takes in the sight of the interior of the cave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the end of the cave stands a small shelf, shaped haphazardly due to the different lengths of the wooden branches used to make it. A bizarre variety of items occupies the racks, all kinds of stuff like cutlery, clear plastic containers, dented plastic bottles and broken glasses. On the right side of the cave directly in front of the entrance, a jumble of gigantic dried leaves lay on the ground to form a rectangular shape; Mingyu reckons that Wonwoo uses it as a bed, or rather a sleeping area, judging by the length of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess this is the closest thing to home I have on this island.” Wonwoo gestures around him.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picks one of the clear plastic containers from the shelf and motions Mingyu to drop the ferns he had been holding into the box. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can rest here first. I’ll start a fire and get water.” Wonwoo exits the cave and grabs a handful of the stray branches scattered upon the ground outside the entrance, then lays them in a bundle at the small clearing just in front of the mouth of the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can help! I mean— I have no idea how to build a fire but I’m sure I can help somehow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, I’ll be fine. No offense but I’m pretty sure I’d be more efficient on my own.” Wonwoo waves his offer away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s a bit hurt by the bluntness in Wonwoo’s words. Of course, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>he has been a huge ball of incompetence since they’ve met but surely he should at least deserve the chance to redeem himself, right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reading Mingyu’s expression, Wonwoo gives out a little sigh. “Look, it’s getting late and we don’t have much time left. I</span>
  <em>
    <span> really </span>
  </em>
  <span>can’t afford to spend extra time giving you instructions. I’ll teach you how things work around here from tomorrow onwards and you can help me next time okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu lights up at that immediately. “Okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Wonwoo disappears into the woods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seeing Wonwoo leave makes Mingyu panic a little from the uneasiness starting to settle in.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What if he abandons me here? What if something happens to him? What if something happens to me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu takes a deep breath and reassures himself that Wonwoo has already been a huge help. He shouldn’t be questioning his character after he had legitimately saved his life out there. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Calm your shit Mingyu. If he wanted you dead he could’ve just left you to your own devices. He literally brought you back home. What a disgrace you are to be doubting him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s stomach rumbles loudly in agreement to that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu sighs to himself and concludes that Wonwoo was probably right that it was better for him to rest instead of helping(being a complete nuisance to) him. He’s way too drained out. Eventually he decides to take a better look at the cave to take his mind off the subtle anxiety gnawing at his heart </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>his severe thirst and hunger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He makes a move towards the shelf that had caught his attention when he first set his eyes upon the cave. Now that he’s nearer, he can make out a lot of the things on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few sticks and sharp stones with random marks and indentations were piled next to the shelf, Mingyu notes. As he noticed before, there were several sets of plastic and metal cutlery, some broken, some rusted. Dented clear plastic food containers were stacked neatly upon one another with their corresponding lids heaped together beside. A small pair of horribly rusted scissors was put separately on an empty rack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu counts and discovers that the number of lids are less than the number of containers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a dented 1 litre plastic mineral bottle filled with cigarettes, which confuses Mingyu terribly as to what it could possibly be used for. Colored plastic bags were folded into triangles before they were arranged on the racks and it reminds him of the way his grandma stores plastic bags.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Where the hell did he find all this?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu can’t help but wonder if Wonwoo was shipwrecked on this island. What else could explain all his out-of-place belongings?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After satisfying half of his curiosity, Mingyu finds an empty space and sits down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sunlight shrouds the cave in a golden veil. Something on the wall beside Wonwoo’s “bed” catches Mingyu’s eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He moves forward to get a closer look and realizes it wasn’t shadows he saw.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was carvings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rows of little tally marks incised into the walls in fives. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Are those markings an indication of the number of days he has been spending on the island?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu scoots even closer and starts counting the tallies. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>1, 2, 3, 4… 19, 20, 21?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu counts thrice to make sure he’s counting correctly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The last tally is unfinished so Mingyu does the mental calculation and reaches the number… 103.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s like more than 3 months.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>At first Mingyu is just overwhelmed by the duration — he couldn’t imagine himself surviving 3 months in the wilderness, hell he doesn’t even know if he could make it past 3 days. But after a while he’s slightly grateful that Wonwoo hasn’t been on the island for years, which means that Wonwoo won’t be completely oblivious about the more current situation of the outside world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sits back at his previous spot and leans against the cool cave walls. His stomach growls again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s usually an extremely active person. He has a big appetite and very high metabolism. He used to take it as a free pass to indulge himself in as many guilty pleasures as he could, despite his job, but now he just hates it so much because it’s making him </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>lethargic and giddy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He supposes his body should better get used to consuming less food soon or else he’s going to be in grave trouble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He closes his eyes shut and wills his stomach to stop yelling for food.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mingyu? Mingyu wake up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu flutters his eyelids open at the sound of someone calling his name gently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It takes him several seconds to gain control over his still-drowsy brain and remember where he’s at.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” Mingyu apologizes sheepishly as he runs his hand over his hair, willing his brain to function properly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sky is dark outside the cave. Great. Now he’s proven himself once again to be the worst companion ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. You were probably really tired.” Wonwoo shrugs it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He brings over a huge bag that seems to be made of plaited vines, water dripping through the gaps of the crude handiwork, and hands the straps to Mingyu.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cooked water.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu croaks out a “Thank you” and reaches for the bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s about to start drinking when he realizes that he doesn’t know if Wonwoo has had his share yet or not.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu extends the leaking bag back to Wonwoo. “You should drink first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo pushes it back into his arms. “I drank another bag.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Mingyu starts downing the water ravenously in desperate gulps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The water is warm as it gushes down, moisturizing his dry and itchy throat. Mingyu has never had water this delicious before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Mingyu says once more after licking his parched lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I boiled the ferns from earlier. Eat some before you sleep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nods and heaves himself up, following Wonwoo to the clearing outside the cave where a blazing fire was flaring intensely against the dark night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sit themselves side by side around the fire and Wonwoo hands Mingyu a clear container filled halfway with wet fern and a plastic fork before holding up a similar container for himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Mingyu’s being honest, the squishy, damp fern looks absolutely revolting and it just kills whatever appetite he originally had, but he knows he’s not in the place to be picky so he thanks Wonwoo enthusiastically and digs in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As expected, the taste is horrendous, and Mingyu almost grimaces visibly before he manages to suppress his distaste and stuff it all down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, it’s okay if you don’t like it. You don’t have to pretend.” Wonwoo speaks up, his voice soft against the low cackle of the flames. He had finished all his ferns too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu starts to protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not pretending! It really isn’t that bad.” Mingyu puts the fork into his now-empty container then sets it down and plays with his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a moment of silence, he mutters resignedly. “Okay fine. You’re right and it sucks. I’m trying to be optimistic here. Plus, I didn’t want you to think I don’t appreciate it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For an instant no one says anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, Wonwoo sets down his container against the ground just like Mingyu did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shoot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you have questions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo turns to face Mingyu, his eyes glinting from the luminesce of the firelight, spelling out the words “I’m waiting.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It baffles Mingyu how easy it is for Wonwoo to read him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His friends? They do it all the damn time, but that’s probably because they know him too well. Strangers however, aren’t supposed to look through him this easily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you end up here?” Mingyu tests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s only a slight hesitation before Wonwoo responds, his eyes oddly focused on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was on a cruise trip with my family heading from Seoul to Taiwan. There was a terrible hurricane one night while I was on the deck. I fell down due to the shaking and I assume that the crazy waves washed over the deck, sweeping me into the sea and eventually bringing me here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo casts a questioning glance at Mingyu. “You?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I was on a trip with my friends at Ishigaki island — which is part of Japan by the way — and we were at the beach for a quick look at the surroundings as Minghao, one of my best friends, was preparing to film a short clip for a competition. I slipped when I was strolling by the shoreline and ended up going for a short swim. Thing is, my unlucky ass got caught up in a riptide and viola! When I woke up I was already on this island.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu babbles on without realizing he could’ve left out some of the details, his drowsiness rubbing off on his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, I still have questions.” Mingyu pouts. “What was that mask you were wearing just now? Where did you get all that stuff on your shelf back in the cave? How on earth have you managed to survive here for 3 fucking months? You’re like my new idol right now and no, you can’t change my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo blinks back at Mingyu with a deadpan look on his face and for a second, Mingyu’s petrified by the fact that he has managed to scare someone off with his stupid autopilot mouth once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Were those questions too personal or something? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, I—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay.” Wonwoo cuts him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The mask I was wearing just now is basically just a piece of fallen tree bark tied to my face with a vine. I wear it occasionally as a form of camouflage in the woods. Regarding the stuff in my cave, well I go beachcombing often. Which is basically like a beach clean-up, only that I’m looking for things that could be useful to me instead of actually picking up trash.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo gives out an indistinct snort. “You’d be surprised by the sheer amount of garbage that washes up on the beach.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And about living here for 3 months.” A sad smile plays at the tip of Wonwoo’s lips. “I was an ecology major, very fortunately. I used to go on wild camps often for the sake of research and stuff. I’m thankful to say the experience of those trips were life-saving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you know I’ve already been here for 3 months though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu stutters a bit. “I uh— I sort of counted the tally marks beside your bed — I assume it’s your bed? I didn’t mean to snoop I promise, it just caught my eye and I went ahead and counted. I’m sorry if it was supposed to be private and confidential I really didn’t—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mingyu. Stop apologizing.” Wonwoo snaps but his tone isn’t harsh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.” Mingyu murmurs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A short pause passes by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was the 5th of December,” Wonwoo reveals. “When I was washed away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’d be March 17th today,” Mingyu clears his throat awkwardly. “If I wasn’t out for too long on the beach. You know, just in case you were wondering.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu peeks at Wonwoo through the corner of his eyes and suddenly meets his gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you. For letting me know.” Wonwoo responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stands up and picks up both of their containers, making his way back to the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should get some sleep soon. The fire will die off on its own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu yawns in agreement and scrambles to his feet to follow him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he was skeptical about sleeping in a pitch dark cave at first, his doubts are now fully erased after that nap he had. At this point, he can’t wait to drop down on the cold, hard ground and go out like a light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu ends up sleeping in Wonwoo’s bed while Wonwoo sleeps on the harsh rock ground in spite of Mingyu’s protests. Wonwoo assured him that it would only be for one night, and they’ll gather leaves for Mingyu’s bed the next day aside from teaching him other survival stuff. Still, Mingyu felt bad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nonetheless, a sharp glare from Wonwoo was all it took to make Mingyu cower and succumb. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be frank, Wonwoo seems like an awesome person and Mingyu likes him to bits already. But it doesn’t stop him from being slightly intimidated by Wonwoo anyways. He gives off this hostile aura that yells “don’t you dare come closer”despite his small smiles here and there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu gets a feeling that Wonwoo’s the type to shield himself with coldness to protect the warm, soft heart underneath all that. He has to admit, he’s intrigued to crack the icy armour. He wants to know what the sound of laughter would be like when it’s coming out from Wonwoo. He wants to know how he shows his emotions with no restraints. He wants to know him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I ask you one last question before we sleep?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we really have to eat that dreadful fern everyday?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu swears he could hear a faint laugh coming from Wonwoo’s direction. He takes it as the first small step to success, which is why he can’t help grinning when he adds, “Goodnight, Wonwoo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo stays quiet for so long that Mingyu is convinced he’s already asleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Mingyu.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu wakes up to the compelling urge to pee. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gets to his feet groggily and staggers out of the bed. One look to his side tells him that Wonwoo woke up earlier than him but he doesn’t really have time to dwell on it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rushes out of the cave and urinates somewhere by the side of the cave structure. Hopefully that’s what Wonwoo does as well; there wouldn’t be some kind of designated spot used as a toilet by chance right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just as Mingyu pulls up his pants and turns around, he sees Wonwoo staring at him with a very red tint across his cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo beats Mingyu to apologizing. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t see anything. I literally just came back and I heard— fuck, you get the point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling very embarrassed at first, it amuses Mingyu to see Wonwoo even more flustered than he is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it, it’s okay. I hope this is alright? Like, you don’t have a fixed spot for this right? I would’ve asked but I was in a rush earlier.” Mingyu says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, sure it’s alright. I do the same, just that when I shit I try to do it in a… considerably more remote area that’s not that close to the cave.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re on a deserted island. Literally everywhere is remote.” Mingyu declares, straight-faced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right but uhm… I’d just do it somewhere I wouldn’t return to. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyways </span>
  </em>
  <span>, I brought back some fruits for breakfast.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he’d said it, Mingyu notices the comb of ripe bananas in Wonwoo’s hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sweet, I’m starving.” Mingyu grabs a banana from Wonwoo and starts eating while they enter the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking I could teach you how to build a fire today? It’ll probably take some time before you’ll be able to build one all by your own but I guess we can start today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nods soundlessly, his head bobbing up and down enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t wait! I don’t want to be a burden to you.” Mingyu mumbles through his stuffed mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finish up three bananas each, leaving about five more on the shelf in the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo grabs one of the triangular plastics from the shelf and opens it. He then shoves the bottle of cigarettes into it as well as some sticks and planks from the bizarre-looking bunch that were piled beside the shelf, the ones with what Mingyu noted as strange marks and indentations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to need these.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The daylight is warm and welcoming as it falls through the thick walls of trees, kissing the world a soft yellow. Birds chirp excitedly somewhere within the branches, eager to start their morning. Oddly, the forest seems much more alive than yesterday. Mingyu definitely felt different things when he first set his eyes on the place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He decides that it’s probably because of the sun.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu loves the sun. He loves the way the light embraces his skin, loves how it brings hope by just appearing, loves its ability to make things seem better than they probably are. Somehow, he aspires to be like that. An existence that manages to brighten up someone’s life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mingyu, cut it! Watch where you’re stepping for god’s sake.” Wonwoo hisses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu looks over bewilderedly. “What did I do?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re blundering through the forest like an elephant. Do you have any idea how loud you are? Every animal in a 100m radius can hear us, and I’m not interested in finding out if there are any predators among them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Mingyu responds faintly as the sudden realization hits him. He hadn’t been paying attention to his steps at all, in fact he didn’t even notice that he had been making a lot of noise. “I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After being told off by Wonwoo, Mingyu makes an effort to be attentive to where he lays his foot upon. Apparently the entire forest ground is covered with dried leaves and dead twigs; he doesn’t recall how many twigs he snapped before but he’s positive he must’ve treaded on at least four.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu tries to be quiet, he really does. He blames it on his huge feet. It’s really not his fault that he’s tall, has big feet </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>has high muscle mass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now that he’s being more alert, he can’t help wincing at every sound he makes as he steps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo walks barefoot, hardly making a sound as he does so. Mingyu had thought it was likely because he had lost his shoes, but now he figures that it could be possible that he took off his shoes by choice.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu walks barefoot too, as he didn’t have his shoes on in the first place when he was washed away, yet somehow he still makes all these thundering sounds while Wonwoo saunters through like an expert thief in the dead of the night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He concentrates on tracing Wonwoo’s steps. It amazes him how he seems to know exactly where and how to put his foot down to minimize the sound coming from his footsteps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu doesn’t know how long they have been walking, in all honesty, he had been fixing on Wonwoo’s feet the entire time. He can make out the dry cracks on his heels and the dead skin from blisters on his soles; he must’ve been walking barefoot the whole time he’s been here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s genuinely startled and almost bumps into Wonwoo when he stops dead in his tracks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo squats down and starts examining the ground with particular detail. Very confused, Mingyu stands and looks at him quizzically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a short while, Wonwoo seems to be satisfied by his observations and he lays open the plastic bag he had been holding onto the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look for dry twigs and branches of different lengths and toss them into the plastic. Make sure that they’re completely dry.” Wonwoo instructs as he starts chucking twigs into the bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nods and starts mirroring Wonwoo’s actions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They continued on their way when the bag was half full with branches.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu smells the salty ocean breeze before his eyes could catch a sight of the vast blue sea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The saltiness is familiar to him; if he closes his eyes, he could almost imagine that it was just another normal day of him walking to the beach for his classes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he opens his eyes and welcomes the picturesque scenery in front of him, those once-familiar waters had never felt this far away ever before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sea is glistening with shades of blue as it stretches over to the horizon, the edges of the waves catching just the right amount of sunlight as they crash onto the shore. It all seems like a flawlessly-calculated painting, as if each tint each hue, each curve each line were specifically drawn for one sole purpose— to mesmerize. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything is so perfect, that Mingyu can’t help being reminded that perfection doesn’t exist. At least not in this world.  It reminds Mingyu of the malicious truth that he’s lost in the middle of nowhere. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With this perfection comes a price, the price of freedom, possibly even the price of life, and it’s one Mingyu would never willingly pay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to demonstrate once, then we can work on the second fire together and you can try to make a third one by yourself. Is that okay?” Wonwoo asks as they find a spot in the middle of the beach that’s pretty solid and not as sandy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure.” Mingyu responds, his lips curving into a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If there’s one thing he’s thankful for on this wretched island, it would be Wonwoo. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo starts emptying the contents of the plastic bag.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three fires roughly 25 meters apart make up an international distress signal by the way. I was thinking since we have to build fires and you have to practice, we might as well try signalling.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, that’s smart.” Mingyu hesitates a short while before he continues curiously. “How often do you send out distress signals like this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As often as I can. Mostly two days apart.” Wonwoo replies. “First off, I’ll be explaining the stuff I do while you observe and listen. Does that sit well with you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the plastic bag empty, Mingyu’s first ever fire-making lesson is finally starting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo gestures to the branches and twigs laid upon him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, the concept of fire is fairly simple. You’ll need three things: oxygen, fuel and heat. Since oxygen is readily available and fuel is basically anything that’s easily flammable, our main concern is heat.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the fuel, we’ll be using the cigarettes. Once the fire gets going, wood is used to keep it burning. Before you actually start building the fire, you’d want to make sure everything is ready, because once you get the coal, you have to blow it up into a fire before it has the chance to cool down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo grabs the twigs laid upon him and starts arranging them according to length.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arrange your wood according to their length, when you first get a fire, you’d want to put the shorter twigs first, then only build up as the fire gets bigger and stronger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu can only keep on nodding. This is all very new to him and if he’s honest, he doesn’t catch some of the terms Wonwoo mentions. How is heat provided then? Why is there coal and where is it from?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had never put in much thought into it; his limited knowledge had always brought him to believe that making a fire involves rubbing wood and stone together to generate enough heat to start a fire. Clearly, this is not the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, he trusts Wonwoo to clarify afterwards, which is why he keeps his mouth shut and focuses hard on listening to Wonwoo instead of shooting questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh my… where do I start?” Wonwoo murmurs at the bottom of his breath. He lets out a faint sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu feels bad to have made Wonwoo teach him all this but at the same time, he is eased by the fact that they’re both working things out and he’s not the only one feeling a little lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, there are a lot of different ways to make a fire, but in the wild, we use mainly two methods, which are called the hand drill or the bow drill. Lucky for you, I’ve already made the bow for the bow drill, and it’s much easier than the hand drill, so I’ll be teaching you the bow drill method straight away.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo waves towards a curved branch with a vine attached to it. It does look like a bow now that he’d mentioned it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Main things you’ll need are a spindle, a hearth board, a dry piece of leaf, a sharp object and a tiny tiny twig. First thing you’d want to do is to get the cigarettes ready.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo grabs the bottle of cigarettes and empties a quarter into a small heap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave that alone and move to somewhere beside it.” Wonwoo says as he shifts a bit to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He holds up a plank with a line of holes down its surface that seems to be made of tree bark in one hand, and a smooth stick in the other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This board is what we’d call a hearth board, and this pole is called a spindle. These two will be the main devices we’ll be using to create heat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He places the spindle on the ground and takes up a sharp stone that Mingyu didn’t notice before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get your sharp object, and create a divot somewhere on the hearth board.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He focuses on carving the hearth board for a while and turns it around for Mingyu to see. Basically he created a shallow, round crater on the bark beside the row of existing ones, like a small dent left after being pecked on by a bird.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Next, make a small triangular notch opening from the side of the board into the divot.” Wonwoo explains, his head low with concentration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he turns it around again, Mingyu notes that there’s a small hole shaped like a small arrow pointing towards the dent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo sets the hearth board down and heaves one of his legs onto it so that his knee is pressing it down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When you attempt to generate heat, you’ll need all the friction you can get. So it is very important that you find a spot where the ground is solid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He picks up a dry leaf and slots in underneath the small notch. “This is how you’ll collect the coal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a deep breath, looking like he’s mentally preparing himself for something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Now this is where the real work begins.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo reaches for the “bow” he had mentioned before and attaches the spindle to the bow, tying it to the middle of the “vein string” in a way that the bow lays horizontally while the spindle is upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You put the spindle on that divot you created. And you rub away.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He aligns the spindle to the little dent, and starts to push and pull the bow in a sawing motion vigorously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A quiet “oh” escapes Mingyu’s lips as understanding dawns on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The spindle spins on the dent as Wonwoo moves the bow to and fro, spinning in one direction as he moves the bow forwards, then the other direction as he moves the bow backwards. As long as he doesn’t stop his hand movements, the spindle keeps spinning. Thus, creating the friction and heat Wonwoo was talking about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s clear that it isn’t an easy feat to do; Mingyu’s arms already feel sore from watching Wonwoo. He can’t help feeling even more impressed by him. It’s obvious that it takes a lot of practice and experience to master the action.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu hopes it won’t be too physically taxing for him. Sure enough, he’s muscular and well-toned from swimming and training, but he’s skeptical towards whether or not his arms will become accustomed to the foreign activity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, wisps of smoke gradually rise from where the spindle is spinning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come closer. To get a better look.” Wonwoo pants through ragged breaths. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu scoots forward. Now that he’s closer, he can make out the black powder being deposited onto the dry leaf just beneath the notch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s the coal?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. The friction grinds the wood from the hearth board into powder and the heat kind of burns it I guess.” Wonwoo breathes out, his voice airy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu nods keenly. “This is so cool.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just wait till you get your hands on this. Won’t feel cool at all,” Wonwoo snickers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu laughs softly at that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By this time, a tiny mountain of coal had accumulated on the dry leaf. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo judges the amount and stops his motions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The coal can be a little sticky sometimes, and we don’t want to accidentally spill the coal. This is where that tiny twig comes into place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo uses the small twig to carefully prod the leaf off the hearth board as he lifts it up just a bit in an attempt to get the leaf. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The leaf comes off and Wonwoo moves towards the heap of cigarettes cautiously with the leaf gripped between his fingers, the miniature mountain of coal sitting on top with the faintest glint of orange around its tip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>a little </span>
  </em>
  <span>scared that his clumsiness might ruin everything if he tries. It’s not like he’s not a detailed person, he can be very attentive and gentle at times, it’s just that sometimes his limbs seem to gain a mind of their own and refuse to cooperate with his brain. They just let go of stuff randomly and he honestly doesn’t understand why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve got to make sure that the cigarettes catch on fire, you don’t want any of the precious coal to seep through the gaps and spill onto the ground.” Wonwoo mumbles as he pours the coal onto the cigarettes, his brows deeply furrowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He empties the rest of the coal and blows softly onto the cigarettes. Slowly but surely, clouds of white smoke curl their way upwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can blow a bit to make sure it gets the oxygen. Make sure you blow from the side as the flames go up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo puffs his cheeks as he blows, his eyes widening slightly as he coaxes the coal to spark up.  Mingyu finds it cute as it's so exceptionally different from his usual cold demeanour.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Orange yellow flames gingerly lick up the cigarettes, engulfing them in timid flames. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>An exhale of relief escapes Wonwoo, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you have it. This isn’t a fire yet, just a mere flame, so now we have to build it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo picks the smallest, shortest branches from the pile that they collected earlier and places them on top of the cigarette bunch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Begin with the small pieces, then work up the sizes. Eventually it will form a teepee, which is that natural pyramid shape of fires.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He crouches down and continues to blow on the cigarette stack. “Try blowing too. You’ll be trying to make a fire on your own later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu hums a nervous okay and hunches down to blow at the fire. Heat emitted from the flames warms up his face due to the close proximity. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After what seemed like ages, they finally had the first fire burning brightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo looks at the fire fondly before he turns to Mingyu with a gleam in his eyes and a grin on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Showtime’s over. It’s your turn now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu munches at the cooked meat, exhausted from all the strenuous work. His shirt is damp from sweat and it clings onto his skin uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shoots a glance at the sun and flinches as the brightness attacks his eyes. It must be past noon now, but it’s still as hot as ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His first attempt at making a fire was… successful. At least, it’s considered a success as long as he counts in Wonwoo’s help. He can’t recall the number of times Wonwoo had to hiss at him to make sure he doesn’t screw up. Thankfully, his second attempt was better. He still needed Wonwoo’s help but Wonwoo had said that after a few more tries, he’ll be able to start a fire on his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he got the third fire started, the first had already dwindled into ashes as neither of them had bothered to keep on feeding it wood. The SOS signal was kind of a failure due to that, but Wonwoo had assured him that they could always try again next time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo even complimented his stamina in surprise, exclaiming that he was a quick learner. Mingyu would be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased to hear the words of affirmation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After their fire-making lesson, Wonwoo showed him a few snares he had rigged up in the woods. A rabbit had been caught in one of them, dead already due to hunger most probably. Wonwoo skinned the rabbit with the same sharp flint from before and… let’s just say it wasn’t a pretty sight. Mingyu almost gagged and he had to turn away for most of the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo buried the rabbit skin somewhere near. He explained that he feels bad for being cruel to the animals however he has no choice but to do it in order to survive. Mingyu’s heart clenched at that. Wonwoo doesn’t look like the type to be concerned over dead animals, then again, Mingyu doesn’t doubt that there’s much more to Wonwoo than what meets the eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They brought the rabbit to the beach and cooked it above the last fire, both of them eating straight with their hands after rinsing them in the seawater as both of them were too lazy to walk back to the cave to get the cutlery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu mentally concluded that although Wonwoo seems amazingly skilled at everything, it is blatantly obvious that he can’t cook, proven by the partially burnt rabbit meat that tastes somewhat like charcoal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo breaks the silence, his voice mildly sheepish. “I’m sorry I burnt the meat.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In my defense, I’ve never cooked before I came here. Fires were my thing, cooking wasn’t. Plus, I’m not the type to care much about what I eat.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu can’t quite place his finger on the emotions behind his tone, but he senses that Wonwoo is… embarrassed?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing, really. Who’s never burnt a thing or two before?” Mingyu laughs heartily, waving Wonwoo’s apology away. “Besides, I’m around now! I may not be the greatest cook but I can make a decent meal. Maybe in the future you can work on the fire while I cook then!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu glows at Wonwoo, his canines peeking through his curved lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing.” Wonwoo returns a slight smile of his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished up their lunch and went on to find a shady spot near the edge of the forest to sit down and rest for a moment while talking aimlessly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How old are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a 96 liner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! I should call you Wonwoo-hyung then!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Suits you. Honestly, I’m not that particular about honorifics. You don’t have to address me that way if you don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mingyu perks up in wide-eyed horror. “Of course I have to! I respect you to no end, hyung!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wonwoo winces at that and mutters, “If you insist.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should take the bed tonight, hyung. I had my turn yesterday night.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll go search for some large leaves later for your bed, that way we’ll both have beds.” Wonwoo hums. “I’ll go check on some of the tuber plants in the forest on the way and if they’re ready for digging up we can have those for dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a great plan to me.” Mingyu responds cheerily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A gust of sea breeze sweeps past and plays with Wonwoo’s uneven hair. Mingyu feels his own hair fluttering as the wind runs through it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He steals a last glance at the sunny beach before they disappear into the woods and a thought crosses his mind that maybe, maybe things won’t be that bad after all.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the setting of the fic is based off an actual deserted island which i'll talk more about in future chapters so for now, please think of it as a subtropical/tropical island with features, weather, flora and fauna from both types of climates<br/>do let me know if i should add any trigger warnings ^^<br/>huge thanks to everyone who finished reading this &lt;3</p><p> </p><p>ily <a href="https://twitter.com/brightxxw">mari</a>, thanks for everything<br/><a href="https://pwfp.carrd.co">playlist</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jwwmochi">twitter</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. down the deep end</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dive in.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <a href="https://pwfp.carrd.co">playlist</a>
</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It’s been three days since Mingyu had woken up on the island and he can’t believe he endured that many hours of sticky sweat and his clammy shirt before he asked Wonwoo where he usually bathes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo had said abashedly that he takes a dip once every few days in the river near the cave where he normally gets water to boil for drinking and cooking. Mingyu grimaced in strong disgust when he heard that and protested that all the waste chemicals from their sweat would end up in the water… and they drink the water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then Wonwoo shrugged and said it’s up to Mingyu if he doesn’t want to clean himself, since he’s still going to do it and Mingyu had been drinking water from that exact stream for three days already. At that, Mingyu had conceded reluctantly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which is why they’re currently standing beside the still river, stripping off their clothes. Well, truthfully only Mingyu is taking off his clothes while Wonwoo is sitting by the river bank.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very fit.” Wonwoo looks so flustered and Mingyu finds it </span>
  <em>
    <span>so cute</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Did you use to work out often?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Why am I like this?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu tries to keep it cool and mask the fact that seeing how embarrassed Wonwoo seems at the sight of his naked torso makes him feel weird things. He fails to suppress a tiny smirk from inching its way up his face though.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I uh</span>
  <span>— work as a diving instructor, so yeah, I do work out often at the gym.” Mingyu appears to shrug it off nonchalantly. “I do freelance modelling as well sometimes, when I’m short on money.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… yeah, it’d be a waste if you weren’t,” Wonwoo murmurs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What would be a waste?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m pretty sure you’re aware you look like that.” Wonwoo gestures from Mingyu’s face to his feet with raised eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You literally look like that one guy in movies that sleeps with half the girls on campus just because every single person who's set their eyes on you would be racing to get into your bed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m not the best person but I’m not that much of an asshole either. I don’t sleep with strangers and I don’t do one-night stands. My sex life is </span>
  <em>
    <span>utterly</span>
  </em>
  <span> uneventful,” Mingyu snaps, a pout on his lips. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo laughs and holds his hands up in a surrender position. “I’m sorry to have made assumptions; I shouldn’t have said that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu sighs with mock disappointment before speaking. “Apology accepted. People tend to relate me with playboy behaviour although I honestly can’t fathom why.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sadly, I can’t say anything to that, I barely know you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No worries, I’m sure we have plenty of time to know each other better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo rolls his eyes and waves towards the river. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go on, I’ll go when you’re done.” He looks at Mingyu expectantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu rubs his neck. “You don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> expect me to strip in front of you right? I mean I know we’re technically friends by now but I don’t think—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo’s eyes widen into saucers and his face turns into a literal tomato within a matter of seconds before he turns his back on Mingyu. “Fuck no— Please continue whatever you’re doing, I don’t know what came into me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu chuckles as he removes the rest of his clothes and tosses them onto the riverbank. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sinks himself into the cool river water and sighs in content. It feels</span>
  <em>
    <span> so </span>
  </em>
  <span>good and refreshing. He rubs off the layer of grime off his skin and focuses on getting out all the soil slotted between his toes and nails that probably got there due to his barefoot walking. Then he dunks his head into the water and stays there for as long as he can before coming back up gasping for air. He feels more alive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hyung, do you ever wash your clothes?” Mingyu’s voice rings through the water splashes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really, it’s not like I can walk around nude while my only clothes are left out to dry. For god’s sake Mingyu, you’re on a deserted island, clean clothes should be the least of your worries,” Wonwoo replies exasperatedly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I kind of met you, and that itself solved most of my problems. So I think I should have the luxury to think about clean clothes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu can’t refrain from asking. “Besides, why wouldn’t you walk around naked? No one’s around to see you anyways.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you not a person?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu thinks he could hear Wonwoo rolling his eyes again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Besides, if I had that habit, any rescuers coming to save me would see me fully unclothed, even you would’ve met a naked me. The pure possibility of those scenarios is enough to haunt me.” Wonwoo shifts uncomfortably from where he’s sitting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu shudders at the thought of that and shakes his head in an effort to get the imagery out of his brain. “Yeah, I’m thankful you don’t do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu hauls himself out of the river when he’s done, water dripping down his arms and legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Erm, do you usually just wear your clothes over your wet body straight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually I do. There aren’t any towels anyways.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu mutters, “I see it is how it is,” and shakes himself aggressively in an attempt to get rid of </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the water on his body before he proceeds to pull his clothes over his body unwillingly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, this is so not comfy,” Mingyu whines.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel like you’re starting to get too comfortable around me and I don’t quite like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I heard that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo snickers. “Are you done yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes I am,” Mingyu huffs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo pushes himself off the ground as Mingyu walks towards him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think I like the idea of the earthy ground coming in contact with my wet butt.” Mingyu eyes the ground in distaste. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then just don’t sit,” Wonwoo says as he moves over to the river and pulls off his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Frankly, Wonwoo has a nice body. Mingyu had thought he’d be the scrawny type due to how lanky he looks but with his shirt off, Mingyu can see that even though he is very skinny, he’s actually quite muscular. In fact, he has rather a lean figure, with flat abs and a defined waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But still, Mingyu knows he must be malnourished from the small amount of food they get to eat every day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop looking!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu laughs airily and turns away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Undeniably, he likes Wonwoo. They haven’t been around each other for long, but Mingyu feels like Wonwoo has warmed up to him considerably since the first day. It would be a stretch to say they get along like long-lost brothers, but Mingyu would call them friends at the least. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t exactly surprised to find out that Wonwoo is sarcastic; he kind of saw it coming, sixth sense or something. It blends well with his own personality, a sharp edge to where he is too smooth; it balances them out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d like to think that his “annoying friendliness” (quoted by Jeonghan) rubbed off on Wonwoo eventually; even though Wonwoo still seems to steer clear of the more personal side of things and hardly initiates conversations, he’s relaxed enough to tease Mingyu and joke around him now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That’s progress to Mingyu, and he’s thankful for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo doesn’t take long to finish up, and when Mingyu sees him, he can’t help bursting into laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo’s long and uneven hair looks even shaggier than before now that it’s wet and sticking onto his forehead, covering most of his eyes.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry— You just look so— AHAHA like a dog that just came out from the shower,” Mingyu manages through his silly giggles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo doesn’t look amused. “You fit that description pretty well to me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’d make us two dogs that came out from the shower HAHAHA!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your sense of humour amazes me,” Wonwoo speaks indistinctly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo spots a newly-grown patch of water lettuces further down the river and they pluck off most of them for their dinner. He mentions that water lettuces grow around the river often and he eats them every once in a while so it’s probably going to be one of their most frequent meals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey hyung, could you show me some of the vines you used to braid the water bag?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They pass by a tangle of veins and it reminds Mingyu of the saggy water bags used by Wonwoo to cook water and to boil vegetables.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo had shown him how he cooked water and Mingyu still finds himself dumb for not thinking of the method when he saw Wonwoo grabbing stones. Wonwoo had put the rocks into the fire directly, then picked them up by sticks after they’ve been burnt for a while and plopped them into the water bag. The hot rocks then boil the water by emitting heat, sort of like Japanese hot rock soups. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm… I think there’s some over there.” Wonwoo looks around and points to an area of trees. “Why?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was thinking,” Mingyu shuffles his feet, “I could help you braid a new one? I have quite nimble fingers so I guess I could try to make a tighter one so that less water leaks out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You? Nimble fingers? I never would’ve guessed. But yeah sure, let’s go over to pick some vines.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I really do have nimble fingers, I’m good with my hands! I was even in a cross-stitching club back in middle school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say I don’t believe you, it’s just that it isn’t what I’d expect from you.”</span>
</p>
<p><span>“True, but appearances don’t give everything</span> <span>away.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo lets out a quiet laugh. “I have to agree.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo pulls off a cluster of vines and hands them to Mingyu. “This should be enough. I’ll show you how to braid it when we get back to the cave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu nods his thanks and inspects the vines curiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should head back, I think it’s going to rain soon,” Wonwoo says hastily as he notices how the sky is getting gloomier. “Also, pick up some branches as we go for the fire later so we don’t have to make a second trip.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” Mingyu stuffs the vines under his armpits and hurries towards Wonwoo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They quickly make their way through the forest, grabbing sticks as they go.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once they reach the cave, Wonwoo sets to make the fire while Mingyu gets everything else ready for cooking. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as the first rumble of thunder cuts through the air, Wonwoo dumps the cooked water lettuce into two plastic containers while Mingyu fills two other containers with water from a second water bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The both of them settle down on the cold rocky ground of the cave, weary sighs escaping their mouths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was quite a rush,” Mingyu groans.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Wonwoo passes Mingyu a container and a fork.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does it rain often?” Mingyu asks as he starts eating the lettuce. It’s bland, as expected, but Mingyu thinks it's absolutely scrumptious in comparison to the ferns.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo takes a swallow before answering. “Recently, I’d say no. But in the winter when I first came, it rained </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> often.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh, that couldn’t have been good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you mind telling me what it was like?” Mingyu asks softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess I don’t. It’s over with anyways.” Wonwoo crosses his legs and tilts his head slightly, his eyes pensive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It rained often,” Wonwoo starts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Almost everyday, and when it stopped, it continued after a few hours. When I woke, I realized that my first priority was shelter above anything else, or else I was going to be sick in no time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The easiest form of shelter I could think of was a ‘lean-to shelter’. I found a fallen log and rested it against a tree so it slopes down to the ground. Then, I found branches to put on sides of the log to form triangles,and layered dry leaves on top to act as foliage. Some of the water still seeped in, but I pulled through until I found this cave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The corners of Wonwoo’s mouth quirk up at the mention of the small safe space they’re staying in, his eyes trailing across the inside of the cave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you make fires to cook anything if it rained so often? It must’ve been so cold...” Mingyu trails off, biting on his lower lip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was almost impossible to make a fire as the wood was always damp and I was terribly weak, thus lacking the physical energy needed. I drank water from the stream directly and chewed on mint leaves as my only source of food for days. It was a tough time.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu can’t even imagine the willpower Wonwoo must’ve had to persist through. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You must be the strongest person I know,” Mingyu compliments, his voice dripping with admiration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo laughs lowly. “I don’t think I deserve that honour, but thank you. Thankfully, things slowly got better. Or else you might not have even met me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu makes a face. “Thank goodness I met you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both laugh in unison. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Somewhere between their conversation, the sky finally decided to let its tears start peltering down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of rain eventually grew louder and caught Mingyu’s attention. “It’s raining.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blazing fire they had left outside for the past 10 minutes sizzles as the rainwater falls blindly, snuffing out the flames ruthlessly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking out from inside the cave, the hole that shows what’s outside seems to be covered by a layer of gray translucent plastic. The trees look decolorized and faded, the rain blurring out the view.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Weirdly, it reminds Mingyu of “The Hunger Games”, specifically the scenes where Katniss and Peeta were trapped in a cave in the rain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except this ain’t a love story, and they don’t have to take other people’s lives. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu takes a drink from his container. “Hyung, you wanna play a game?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo perks up. “What game?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, maybe a simple ‘You ask, I answer’ game? Just so we get to know each other better.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu had been mentally bracing himself for rejection, for Wonwoo to laugh it off and suggest they sleep. Which is why he’s genuinely surprised when Wonwoo agrees to his dumb idea.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Mingyu fails to hide the disbelief in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you sound so shocked?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I uh- didn’t expect you to agree.” Mingyu says meekly, running a hand over his hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, well,” Wonwoo shrugs his shoulders, “You can go first.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm… favorite color?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly I’m not sure… I like cold-toned colors more I guess. You?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yellow, it’s bright and full of energy,” Mingyu beams. “Favorite food?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kimchi fried rice.” Wonwoo motions towards Mingyu questioningly with a tip of his chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tteokbokki. Favorite drink?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Iced Americano.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mine would be Coke. Hold on—” Mingyu pulls up his legs and hugs his arms around them. “If this continues you’re just going to ask me back whatever question I ask you. Now you go first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You noticed.” Wonwoo feigns a look of disappointment. “Okay then, where are you from?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I grew up in Ansan but I moved to Incheon to work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait what? I’m from Anyang but I study at Incheon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Mingyu stares at Wonwoo wide-eyed. “I can’t believe we’re from the same area. Which university are you in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m in Yonsei University.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What a small world! One of my friends studies in Yonsei too. Do you know Joshua Hong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s an education major that comes from LA and plays the guitar well right? I think one of my friends, Seungcheol, is friends with him.” Wonwoo looks mildly astonished.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way!” Mingyu exclaims. “Is Seungcheol the football team captain of Yonsei who’s majoring in engineering?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, that would be him. What a small world indeed,” Wonwoo muses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> too much information than I can handle,” Mingyu says, plopping his head onto his knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I went to so many Yonsei football games with Joshua and Jeonghan as they were friends with members of the football team but I never really interacted with them personally and now you’re telling me that all those times we were possibly sitting on the same side of the bleachers without knowing about each other’s existence. Until now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d think it was fated for us to meet on this wretched island,” Wonwoo says, crossing his arms against his chest and leaning his head against the cave wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“True,” Mingyu says. “Our lives are a literal movie.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No kidding,” Wonwoo concurs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sit in silent thought for a moment, the sound of heavy rain echoing within the small confined space.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you have a part-time job?” Mingyu asks. “Most of my friends in college seem to take part-time jobs to cope financially.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Actually, I got into Yonsei with a scholarship.” Wonwoo rubs the nape of his neck embarrassedly. “But I tutor a few high school kids of my parents’ friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah, I wish…” Mingyu shoots a look of admiration at Wonwoo. “I’ve been working full time ever since I graduated high school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does your family… struggle financially?” Wonwoo asks carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu looks confused for a millisecond before bursting into hearty laughter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really! My dad passed away seven years ago, so I decided to work after high school to help out my mum. Plus, I never loved school, not as much as my younger sister does.” An affectionate smile creeps up Mingyu’s lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always hated school, I found it very… restricting in a way, though my sister disagrees,” Mingyu chuckles. “That’s why I didn’t further study. I’m hoping that between my mum and I, my sister can get into university.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s very nice of you,” Wonwoo says, his eyes curving into small crescents before twisting into a slight frown of concern. “I’m sorry to hear about your father.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nothing really,” Mingyu assures. “As I said, I don’t appreciate school as much as my sister does. As for my dad… I still miss him sometimes but I’m over the seven stages of grief.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you call me strong,” Wonwoo sniggers good-naturedly. “You’re quite a tough person too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu hopes the dim light covers up the pale blush warming up his cheeks. “Everyone goes through hard things in life, we can only make the best of it. Anyways, enough with the sappy talk, whose turn is it now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, I can’t remember,” Wonwoo says. “But I’d like to know more about your sister though, you seem to be very fond of her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sharp rumble of thunder reverberates through the cave just as Wonwoo’s last words leave his lips, startling the both of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Apparently, the rain hadn’t been getting any smaller throughout their game. The cave is almost completely shrouded in darkness as night begins to set in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I love my sister a lot.” Mingyu’s eyes shine brightly, along with his smile that’s just as brilliant. “Her name is Mirae and she’s 11 years younger than I am. My dad passed away when she was only five-years-old, so I took care of her while growing up as my mom had to work most of the time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s the most thoughtful and creative person ever. Her mind comes up with weird things all the time and she makes me do them together with her. One Halloween, when she was 10 I think, she wanted to dress up as a tooth cavity to remind everyone that they shouldn’t eat too many candies during the celebrations, she even made small flyers to hand out to every kid she encountered at her school Halloween party that outlined detailed steps on how to brush your teeth properly, crazy huh?” Mingyu laughs at the memory. “I had to help her make the costume and print out the flyers, it was definitely a memorable Halloween.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Her hobbies include working on home-made soaps and coming up with ideas to transform trash into useful stuff. She said she likes doing it as it helps us save up money and it’s better for the environment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s… Wow, she does sound like an amazing person for her age,” Wonwoo says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, she definitely is. I can’t imagine my life without her,” Mingyu says in solemn agreement. “Do you have any siblings?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo shakes his head. “No, I’m an only child.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does it get lonely? I’ve always thought that my life would be boring, or colorless you could say, without Mirae.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sometimes, I suppose. But it’s not really something that irks me a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu nods thoughtfully at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does it always get this chilly when it rains?” Mingyu shoots a sidelong glance to the cave mouth, where the rain continues roaring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo gets up from where he’s sitting and walks towards the shelf at the back of the cave. He then returns with a thick parka and a windbreaker with him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was winter when I got washed up, so my winter jackets were still on me when I woke. It can get quite cold when it rains, so you can take these.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu can’t believe he missed them before, considering that even after being folded up, the two pieces of clothing take up quite some space.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, actually I don’t really get cold easily, I was just asking out of curiosity.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo shoves the khaki windbreaker into Mingyu’s arms nonetheless. “Take it just in case, I’m okay with the parka.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you insist.” Mingyu wraps it over his shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo yawns. “We should sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” They both make a move towards their respective beds in the black cave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight, hyung.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Mingyu.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu wasn’t telling a white lie when he said he was just asking out of curiosity about the coolness. Years of exercise and healthy diet has his body in great shape, so he truly doesn’t get cold that easily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, Mingyu falls asleep with the scent of forest and saltwater lingering on his nose, the khaki windbreaker wrapped loosely around his torso, covering half his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu’s an outdoor type of guy, but his kind of go-to places are beaches, amusement parks (yes, he still loves amusement parks, you’re never too old for amusement parks), karaokes and nice restaurants. In other words, he’s a total city person and has never been a big fan of nature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That being said, he only noticed how breathtaking nature can be after he was washed onto the island. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He has never appreciated how trees whisper to each other as they sway their branches along with the breeze, has never admired the refreshing scent of soil after a night of rain, has never experienced life completely stripped down to the basics where modern technology and environmental development are non-existent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s a lot to take in, to go through such a sudden shift in life. Mingyu misses simple things like his phone, electric lights, fresh kimchi, clean clothes, and all the small things he never really paid attention to because he took them all for granted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Most importantly, he misses his family and friends more than anything else. Every passing second. It fosters a dull ache in his heart that he simply can’t wave away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He can’t help worrying that they’ll be devastated, thinking that he’s dead. He can’t help being concerned for their wellbeing. The constant anxiety gnawing at him drives him nuts, feeling helpless and powerless against the cruel fate of life. The uncertainty of the future forms a black hole of agony, and it keeps trying to suck him in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tries to not think about it, pushing all the negative thoughts away and shovelling them down. He tells himself to be thankful that he’s still alive, to be grateful that there’s still hope somewhere out there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Simple walks through the forest like this and the crisp morning air helps clear his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it’s because the island is deserted and everything is left untainted by humans, or maybe it’s just how he’s trying to take everything positively. Either way, the entire forest aura seems to be overflowing with energy, though it’s very distinct from the vigour and bustle of cities. Somehow, it makes him feel more spirited even by just walking through it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course, that’s under the condition that he isn’t hopelessly fighting for survival within these very lands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He truly meant it when he told Wonwoo that he’s his life saviour. It was weird at first, beyond doubt, for him to be around a stranger he barely knows 24/7. They literally stick around each other for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire</span>
  </em>
  <span> day, which is definitely a first-time experience for Mingyu; he doesn’t think he’s ever spent this much time being around someone without breaks. It still is weird, but at least they’re friends now, and that sheds off a lot of the awkwardness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s impossible to imagine where he’d be right now if it weren’t for Wonwoo. Starving maybe. Or dead by now after eating some poisonous fungus. Certainly he won’t be having such thoughts; he’d be way too occupied worrying about staying alive instead of having a self-reflection session.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mingyu! How many times do I have to tell you to watch where you’re stepping?” Wonwoo grumbles. “If you keep this up I’ll be calling you ‘elephant’ instead of ‘Mingyu’ from today onwards.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu utters a quick sorry and immediately starts walking more carefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t blame Wonwoo for being frustrated; he’d be frustrated at himself if it were him. He’s just so used to walking normally that he finds it hard to be extra attentive to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, Wonwoo has to remind him about it every single time they go through the forest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve told you before that it’s best if we stay as silent as possible. Other than that, you should really be mindful to not step on sharp rocks and twigs that could hurt you. We can’t afford any injuries, you should know that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know! I’m sorry I’m just— not the most stealthy person,” Mingyu replies in an undertone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be sorry, be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Today, Mingyu had asked Wonwoo to teach him about edible plants, so that sometimes he could keep an eye for things to eat as well, rather than relying on Wonwoo all the time. Besides, this would mean they could take turns making fires and gathering food.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo had agreed to it and suggested that they could gather greens for lunch and dinner while they’re at it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember now, I have a pair of socks back at the cave that I was wearing when I got washed up. I don’t wear it as I like being barefoot, but you can wear it if it’s better for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I’ll wear it.” Mingyu thinks he’d look stupid wearing socks in a forest, then again, he probably needs it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few more minutes of walking, Wonwoo squats down beside some plants underneath a tree and gestures at Mingyu to do the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“These are taro plants. As you can see, their leaves are heart-shaped, dark green above and light green beneath.” Wonwoo explains as he fingers the leaves, turning them over for Mingyu to see.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should only pull the tubers when the leaves turn yellow and fall, which will take months. In the meantime, you can pluck off their leaves to eat. But don’t cut all the leaves, as long as you leave a few, the plant will continue to grow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo takes the extra effort to suppress his voice, making it sound even deeper than it usually is. It reverberates across Mingyu’s eardrums all the way to his heart, causing it to tremble a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu has never paid much heed to deep voices, but Wonwoo’s makes him feel like he’s listening to soulful music, touching him in all the ways hands could never.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What on earth are you thinking about again?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Those are wild potatoes.” Wonwoo points to another small patch of plants located closely next to the taroes. “I dug up quite some of them last time, so they won’t be around anytime soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He doesn’t go into detail about the potatoes since it would take months for them to grow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay we’re done here, now I’ll show you where the greens are.” Wonwoo stands up straight and starts walking to the left.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How exactly do you know where everything is?” Mingyu still finds it extremely impressive how Wonwoo seems to always know where he’s going, as if he knows the forest like the back of his hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I used to make cuts on trees as guides,” Wonwoo says. “But soon, there were just so many places and routes to mark that the cuts became confusing instead. After that, I only marked a path for getting back to the cave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo shows Mingyu a faint indent in the shape of a cross on one of the trees they pass. “There you go, one of my old cuts.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“To be honest, there’s probably a lot of the island that I haven’t come across yet, but I haven’t gone exploring ever since I’ve found the stream and these spots in the forest. I just keep on coming back to these same spots. It’s safer this way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever been lost in the woods?” Mingyu asks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have no idea.” Wonwoo lets out a mockful laugh. “I had a very bad sense of direction, so I only ever went exploring in the morning. In case I got lost, I’d have the entire day to work my way back to the cave. I think I’ve definitely improved since then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can hardly imagine you being clueless and lost though,” Mingyu says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We all have times.” Wonwoo shakes his head lightly. “I’m only human after all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo stops in front of some tall shrubs and squats down again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Touch these,” he says as he holds up a small triangular leaf on one of the plants.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They feel… waxy,” Mingyu notes, rubbing the velvety leaf between his thumb and his forefinger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“These are wild spinach plants. Their leaves are pretty distinctive by their shape and texture.” Wonwoo points out some white flowers grown in small cymes. “You can keep an eye out for their flowers too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu nods as he takes a closer look at the tiny clustered flowers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo yanks up an entire plant and places it into one of the plastic bags he had been carrying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Their stems are edible as well, in addition to their leaves,” Wonwoo says. “Which is why we can eat the entire thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Spinach for lunch it is then,” Mingyu says as he makes a face of disgust and pulls up a plant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu seems to ponder over it a while. “You know what? I actually agree. Those ferns from the first day really brainwashed me into thinking everything else is a Michelin star meal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They both laugh and Wonwoo speaks. “ Honestly, the ferns are the worst.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yet, you still let me have them on the first night!” Mingyu protests.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had to let you know what you were up for,” Wonwoo manages to keep up an entirely straight face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu rolls his eyes and laughs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After pulling up four spinach plants, Wonwoo walks a bit down the right before stopping again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, these kind of look familiar,” Mingyu observes. There are large heart-shaped, wavy leaves growing from the base of the long stout stalks colored with a tinge of red.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is wild rhubarb. It looks a lot like rhubarb, but since it’s grown in the wild, I’d assume it’s common rhubarb.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there a difference?” Mingyu squints at the plant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Very</span>
  </em>
  <span> different. The rhubarb we normally eat is well, edible, but for wild rhubarb, the leaves aren’t edible, only the stem is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They contain an acid that could result in acute poisoning when eaten in large amounts.” Wonwoo starts plucking off leaves and chucking them onto the ground by his side. “Eating a little wouldn’t actually kill us, but it could get us sick and I wouldn’t want to risk that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But the stalks are okay?” Mingyu plops on the ground and follows Wonwoo’s actions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, technically the stalks </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> contain the same acid, but the acid levels are significantly lower, which makes it safe to eat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu inspects the bare stalk in his hands before tossing it into another plastic bag, wincing as he speaks. “Tonight’s special: poisonous rhubarb stems for dinner!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It strikes Mingyu that he finds the way Wonwoo talks very attractive. Maybe it has something to do with his aura of quiet confidence when he’s speaking about his area of expertise. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He talks with passion, like he’s genuinely happy to be sharing information. You could feel the emotion behind the ups and lows of his voice. Not to mention, he often checks on Mingyu to get a response to make sure that he isn’t dumping too much on him all at once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s exceptionally articulate when he explains something, which is especially noticeable when Mingyu himself is taken aback at how easily he comes to understand unfamiliar terms and things.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chestnuts can be eaten both ripe or unripe, prepared by roasting it or boiling the kernel while it’s still in the shell— Mingyu are you listening?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo’s sudden sharpness in voice yanks Mingyu out of his thoughts. “What? Yes I was.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo shoots a glare at Mingyu before continuing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This bush here is a hazelnut bush. As you can see, they grow densely.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo cracks open a hazelnut husk and pops it into his mouth. “They can be eaten either dried or unripe, and since we can’t really dry them, let’s just eat them unripe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo pulls out yet another plastic bag, and the two of them start filling it with chestnuts and hazelnuts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu tries a hazelnut and to his surprise, it doesn’t taste as bitter as he had expected. Surely, there’s still some faint bitterness, but the tantalizing hazelnut aroma is there. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“These are really good.” Mingyu decides he found his new favorite food on the island as he keeps on cracking open hazelnuts and eating them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t eat them all you elephant,” Wonwoo says exasperatedly and snatches the nuts out of Mingyu’s hands. “Leave some for the next few days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu lets Wonwoo throw his nuts into the bag unwillingly, a small pout forming on his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hurry up, let’s cook lunch on the beach. We should do an SOS signal today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu’s stomach growls on cue. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo had pointed out to him some herbs like mint, thyme and basil that seem to grow randomly around the forest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He collected some in a separate bag, planning to try and use them when they cook meat the next time. He’s itching to try it out; he does like cooking a lot anyways.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo is finally satisfied with the amount of nuts when the bag is half full. They then head back to the cave to put their bags of food, and to get the water bags and materials for making a fire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After eating boiled spinach (Mingyu was right about the spinach tasting better than the ferns), the two of them lay on the beach for a while doing nothing, taking a rest after an entire morning of physical exertion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go rinse the containers in the sea,” Wonwoo mumbles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hyung, you go, I made the fire just now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I gave out free lessons this morning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu groans in defeat and grabs the containers as he gets up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A trickle of sweat runs down the side of his face as he heads towards the sea. He likes the sunny weather, but it gets </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> hot on the island that it drives him crazy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The intense sun beams attack his exposed limbs ruthlessly, burning his skin with the heat. Even the seawater feels warm as the ebbing tide crashes against his feet in the sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please tell me we won’t be making three fires again today,” Mingyu says as he sits beside Wonwoo, noting that he had grouped up all the rest of their stuff in a pile not far away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No way, I’m too tired for that.” Wonwoo gets up and Mingyu follows. “We’ll be lining up trash to form the letters ‘SOS’ today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, don’t look at me like that, it’s an actual SOS signal. Helicopters or airplanes flying past could possibly see it.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu wipes the incredulous look off his face with a smile. “Okay.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The beach is littered with garbage, a lot of them half buried under the sand, speckles of color peeking through Mingyu isn’t surprised that Wonwoo managed to find so many things through beachcombing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can start here.” Wonwoo gathers some empty cans and arranges them to form the top of an “S”. “Try not to use stuff made of glass, instead, use things that are colored so they can be seen easily.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu nods and starts grabbing whatever trash he sees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Forming gigantic letters took longer than Mingyu thought it would. Once they ran out of trash in an area, they had to keep on moving further and further down the beach to get more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But honestly, maybe it’s just that time passes more slowly in hot weather. Mingyu’s entire shirt is soaked in sweat by the time they finish. The golden ball had been lowering itself, and is now preparing for sunset.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re done!” Mingyu sighs happily, admiring the huge letters in front of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Wonwoo flops onto the sand. “I’m so tired.” He extends his legs to let the incoming waves lap gently against his feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Weirdly, Mingyu feels more energetic than before. Making the SOS signal had his gears running, and they still are.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He walks into the sea, allowing the cool water to run through his feet. Shades of blue blend into the currents, stretching and stretching to the horizon where it kisses the sky. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The scene reminds me of a quote he has always loved. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Meet me where the sky touches the sea.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The only thing is, the sky and the sea never meet. They’re miles apart. If you were to meet someone where the sky touches the sea, you’d never meet that person. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because such a place doesn’t exist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu laughs subduedly to himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could never get sick of the sea. Never. Even now when he has a newfound fear for the vast depths that extend beyond its beauty, he still loves the ocean. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu  crouches down and puts his hand into the shallow water. The fingers of the tide slip through his, then pull back after a short instant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He splashes the water up against his elbows, relishing in its refreshing stroke, then starts swirling the water with his left hand. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He only realized that Wonwoo had walked up to him when he was right beside him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo bends down and sets his hand under the water just like Mingyu. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s breathtaking isn’t it?” Wonwoo gazes out at the ocean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu can faintly see the reflection of the blue waters in his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Mingyu replies airily.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo walks further to the left while kicking up some splashes, some of the water splattering Mingyu’s thighs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Without thinking, Mingyu delivers a gigantic wave of water back to Wonwoo in retaliation, soaking his entire torso.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck! MINGYU!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I</span>
  <span>— I’m sorry,” Mingyu stutters. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In all honesty, he didn’t do it on purpose. It was a subconscious action, imprinted in his nerves after countless water fights with his friends by the beach. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The salty breeze, the gentle rustle of leaves, the tender caress of the waves against his ankles, it all blends into a scene he had been in so many times that it was easy to forget where he truly was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo gapes at Mingyu soundlessly for a split second, his eyes glinting with shock and confusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu’s heart skips a beat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What if Wonwoo gets mad at me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he knows it, Wonwoo sends a wave of water cascading over his body, enveloping him in cool, crisp water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You deserved it,” Wonwoo says, his tone accusatory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And... They spend the next 15 minutes water fighting like children.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it hyung! I can’t see!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You started it!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You better get over here so I can drown you in water.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that how you speak to a hyung?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were the one who said you didn’t care for honorifics!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I take that back. Plus who was the one who said ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>I respect you to no end!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ to my face? You, liar.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I take that back too, a bully doesn’t deserve any respect!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, Mingyu trips and stumbles onto the wet sand, pleading for truce as Wonwoo takes the advantage to drench Mingyu with water. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Truce! Truce! Hyung, I surrender, I’m tired!” Mingyu cries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo stops at that and slumps onto the ground right next to Mingyu, the both of them panting heavily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re awfully competitive,” Mingyu remarks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo chuckles. “So I’ve been told.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They stay there unmoving for a while to catch their breaths.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu can hardly believe he feels this worn out, and it’s not even nighttime. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If he’s honest to himself, he’s having quite a hard time dealing with the sudden lack of food in comparison to the amount of food he usually eats back in Korea. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’s so used to being full of energy that it’s difficult to get accustomed to feeling drained all the time due to the little amount of food they eat everyday. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Which is why it’s no surprise that he has ended up overexerting himself for every one the past few days.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’ll just have to deal with it, idiot. It’s your fault, no one else’s, so you better get a grip on yourself. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can go for a quick swim, you know. Since you’re all wet already.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What makes you think I like to swim?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You work as a diving instructor,” Wonwoo huffs. “You’ve probably spent half your life in pools and the sea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu stays silent, fumbling with his fingers unconsciously as he looks fixedly at the rippling waves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m damn tired. Besides, just between you and me,” Mingyu starts hesitantly, “I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever be able to swim in the sea again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A mockful laugh finds its way out of Mingyu’s lips, void of humor. “That riptide experience that caused me to be here in the first place… Traumatized me in a way. I hate to admit it, but— I… I think I’m scared of swimming openly in the sea now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo catches Mingyu’s gaze. He moves his lips but the words seem stuck in his throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But— Well, I’m sure you’ll somehow get over it one day,” Wonwoo reassures him. He looks sincere but Mingyu can feel the uncertainty behind his concerned voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope so. I truly hope so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo looks absorbed in deep thought, seemingly trying to come up with something to say. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey look! Is that a starfish?” Mingyu exclaims, his eyes glistening with excitement, as if the gloom clouded in them just moments ago were purely a trick of the light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo looks towards where Mingyu is pointing to. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! I believe that is one.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu scrambles to his feet to get closer to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me more about starfishes!” Mingyu crouches down so his face is almost against the sand and examines the starfish with childish eagerness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, I don’t know much about starfishes. My knowledge of them begins and stops at high school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo can’t resist his lips curving into a fond smile. “Yeah, I study about land mostly, I have no idea what goes on under the sea. The only thing I remember about starfishes is that they don’t have a brain?” A small frown settles between his brows as he struggles to recall. “Nor blood?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Mingyu widens his eyes and looks up in interest, his finger hovering in the air where he was contemplating whether to prod it or not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure. Don’t take my word for this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Mingyu mutters half-heartedly, his eyes still glued onto the small starfish who was moving slowly away from him after he barely brushed on it, leaving a trail in the sand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You act like you’ve never seen a starfish before,” Wonwoo says amusedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu furrows his brows together as he thinks. “Now that you’ve mentioned it, I practically live by the beach, but I’ve never actually seen one.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s odd.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come to think of it, it’s probably because there’s always tons of humans around and the pollution is dreadful.” Mingyu sighs, a downcast expression on his face as he watches the starfish move further and further away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, it just struck me, why don’t you catch fish to eat? You literally have free, unlimited access to the sea,” Mingyu muses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m allergic to seafood actually,” Wonwoo answers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That sucks!” Mingyu pulls a face. “I love seafood.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could teach you how to fish though, if you’re interested.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu considers it. “Yeah, sure. If I can eat fish, you can have a larger portion of the greens and meat.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu still remembers how he was shocked by how bony Wonwoo looked the first time he met him, not to mention that Wonwoo now has to share his food with him now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You should eat more. I feel bad that you didn’t have a lot of food resources since the beginning and you even have to split them up with me now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, don’t worry about it,” Wonwoo snorts. “I’ll teach you how to fish soon.”</span>
</p>
<p><span>Mingyu doesn’t take Wonwoo’s word for it that he’ll be fine — truly, just the thought of living in the wild for three months is already concerning —</span> <span>but he decides to drop it. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>They watch as the sun begins to set at the horizon, still sitting by the shoreline with the tide coming up to tickle their feet every few seconds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever wondered if you could build a raft and leave this island by sailing out into the ocean?” Mingyu asks jokingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo laughs softly. “No, never crossed my mind.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And that’s why we’re not the protagonists,” Mingyu adds while laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo ponders over it and speaks. “There’s just so much uncertainty and danger to sail out like that, not to mention I have zero experience with boats.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But honestly, I don’t think I’d do it even if I do have experience. You can’t gamble your life like that with a flimsy raft. If a cruise ship could throw me off its deck in a storm, what would a raft be like? ”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it’s not quite feasible. But I don’t know, I just like to wonder,” Mingyu says.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wonwoo scoffs. “Well, you should stop wasting time thinking about impossible things then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu grins. “I guess I should.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The yellow ball of fire changes into hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. The clouds look like cotton candy wisps, as if they’re blushing from the warm touch of the sun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone must’ve lit the sky on fire, for streaks of vibrant pink, magenta, and orange rip through the sky, like drops of paint diffusing across wet paper, ablaze with colors found only at the heart of a fire. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rippling ocean is blood red, an endless stretch of molten lava basking in the celestial glow coming from the hot star as it dips down further each passing second, making way for twilight, then the night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mingyu has seen thousands of sunsets by the beach throughout his life, but this one. It’s just different. It’s a whole new level of mesmerizing. It makes him want to stay there and just stare at the sky forever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Minghao would die to see this. He would be so goddamn awestruck yet stressed out trying to capture the perfect photos. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Mirae would possibly cry seeing this and say that if humans continue to hurt the Earth, we won’t ever be able to experience this kind of beauty anymore.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you ever miss home?” Mingyu murmurs absentmindedly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His words drift across the still air, getting lost among the sound of the waves breaking on the shore and the rise and falls of their breaths. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should head back to the cave. It’s getting dark and we still have to prepare dinner.” Wonwoo stands up and brushes the sand off his pants before extending a hand to pull Mingyu up, the corner of his lips curved upwards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Mingyu watches Wonwoo walk ahead of him, his white shirt tinted orange from the intense radiance of the sun, Mingyu laughs dryly to himself, finding it funny how Wonwoo just completely ignored his question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it’s alright, he can wait till he’s ready to talk.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i've been going through some rough patches recently so i'm sorry for not updating more frequently :((<br/>let me know if i should add any trigger warnings, feedback is appreciated, and also thank you so so much for reading &lt;3 it means a lot </p>
<p> </p>
<p>huge thank you to <a href="https://twitter.com/brightxxw">mari</a> ily<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/jwwmochi">twitter</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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